1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a substrate, and, in particular, to a showerhead design for use in metal organic chemical vapor deposition and/or hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE).
2. Description of the Related Art
Group III-V films are finding greater importance in the development and fabrication of a variety of semiconductor devices, such as short wavelength light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), and electronic devices including high power, high frequency, high temperature transistors and integrated circuits. For example, short wavelength (e.g., blue/green to ultraviolet) LEDs are fabricated using the Group III-nitride semiconducting material gallium nitride. It has been observed that short wavelength LEDs fabricated using gallium nitride can provide significantly greater efficiencies and longer operating lifetimes than short wavelength LEDs fabricated using non-nitride semiconducting materials, such as Group II-VI materials.
One method that has been used for depositing Group III-nitrides, such as gallium nitride, is metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). This chemical vapor deposition method is generally performed in a reactor having a temperature controlled environment to assure the stability of a first process gas which contains at least one element from Group III, such as gallium. A second process gas, such as ammonia, provides the nitrogen needed to form a Group III-nitride. The two process gases are injected into a processing zone within the reactor where they mix and move towards a heated substrate in the processing zone. A carrier gas may be used to assist in the transport of the process gases towards the substrate. The precursors react at the surface of the heated substrate to form a Group III-nitride layer on the substrate surface. The quality of the film depends in part upon deposition uniformity which, in turn, depends upon uniform mixing of the precursors across the substrate.
Multiple substrates may be arranged on a substrate carrier and each substrate may have a diameter ranging from 50 mm to 100 mm or larger. The uniform mixing of precursors over larger substrates and/or more substrates and larger deposition areas is desirable in order to increase yield and throughput. These factors are important since they directly affect the cost to produce an electronic device and, thus, a device manufacturer's competitiveness in the market place.
Interaction of the process gases with the hot hardware components, which are often found in the processing zone of an LED or LD forming reactor, will generally cause the precursor to break-down and deposit on these hot surfaces. Typically, the hot reactor surfaces are formed by radiation from the heat sources used to heat the substrates. The deposition of the precursor materials on the hot surfaces can be especially problematic when it occurs in or on the precursor distribution components, such as the showerhead. Deposition on the precursor distribution components will affect the flow distribution uniformity over time. Therefore, there is a need for a gas distribution apparatus that prevents or reduces the likelihood that the MOCVD or HVPE precursors will be heated to a temperature that will cause them to break down and affect the performance of the gas distribution device.
Also, as the demand for LEDs, LDs, transistors, and integrated circuits increases, the efficiency of depositing high quality Group-III nitride films takes on greater importance. Therefore, there is a need for an improved deposition apparatus and process that can provide consistent film quality over larger substrates and larger deposition areas.